What You Should Know When Dealing With Navicular Pain

By Janine Hughes


This is a problem that is normally experienced by horses. Navicular pain is a symptom that points to soundness problems in horses. It is caused by the degeneration of the navicular bone and its surrounding tissues. This problem often occurs on the front feet and if pronounced can lead to disabling lameness.

There are no precise reasons that are prove to lead to this. Only speculations exist. Your animal could be walking a little bit differently. This refers to the toe to heel type of landing. This is said to be a cause and can also fall under a symptom. This problem is brought about when hooves are not trimmed right and also when the toes are left to be too long.

Problems with circulation can also be an issue. When blood circulation to this area is not enough, the horse will show some kind of uneasiness. This will be due to blocked blood vessels. A while back this issue was considered a death sentence by farmers. The new treatments that have been discovered have given them hope.

There a couple of symptoms you should look out for if you think your animal has a problem. Lameness is the most obvious symptom. It is easily noticed on a hard surface than on a soft surface. This is because the pain on a hard surface is more intense. X rays can be done to try and identify this problem. However, the results may not show this problem.

A horse with this problem will often stumble as it walks. There are certain breeds whose anatomy will always put them at risk of this disease. This refers to those whose limbs are not able to support their excessive weight. A veterinarian is the only individual with the expertise needed to deal with a problem animal. A farmer should take his animal to one if there is an issue.

This issue can be dealt with easily. However, some cases are quite serious and not much can be done. This is sad when a farmer has to watch their animals struggle. To deal with this problem one can ensure their animal receives proper shoeing. This should be done often and involves hoof care. Each side should be well balanced.

Drug therapy is also a form of treatment. Here drugs are used to dilate the blood vessels. This is said to increase the flow of blood to the navicular bone. Most horses are said to have responded positively to this type of treatment. However, just receiving it once is not enough. There have to be more visits to the vet to prevent the pain from reoccurring.

Exercise is just as important to humans as it is to animals. This can be a form of treatment. It is normally scheduled for about half an hour or more. It is more effective when done for a number of days in the week. This exercise majors on teaching the animal to properly balance its weight on the back legs. Despite these problems being a little alarming, there is a treatment.




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